After more than a year in the making, Clark Planetarium Productions is unveiling its most groundbreaking show since “The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket”! The show is revolutionary on a number of fronts – a modernized look at the solar system with notable appeal to families, schools and the general public…  Detail, color and sharpness like nothing we could ever do before thanks to our new projector system.  A frame rate *double* the pace of a standard movie (meaning:  smooth and sharply defined motion of scenes across the screen!).  Resolution many times beyond HD.  The incredible character performances of the actors also go a long way to enhance the story.

So what is the story?  Imagine the ultimate space vacation!  What if you could travel the galaxy to find that ideal place?  Discover our solar system through a new set of eyes – a family from another star system seeking the perfect vacation spot.  Fly over the surface of Pluto, our best known Dwarf Planet.  Dive over the ice cliffs of Uranus’ moon Miranda.  Sail through the rings of Saturn.  Feel the lightning storms at Jupiter.  And zip by the moons of Mars.  Which destination would you choose?  Take your family on an exploration of some of the best sights of our solar system.  You’ll feel as though you’re there – no 3D glasses required!

Built in our dome for space travelers of all ages. Watch a preview of “Perfect Little Planet.” PLP will play in our Hansen Dome Theatre beginning February 17, 2012. Buy tickets. Running Time: 35 minutes.

It’s Groundhog Day!  I know…it’s hard to contain your excitement.  It’s that day each year when a mammal is held up in front of a crowd of people.  If it’s a sunny day and the groundhog cared about such things, he could see his shadow and we would have more wintery weeks ahead.  If the sun was blocked, no shadow and thus spring would arrive soon.  A bit of a strange ritual.  But it actually has roots that go back a long way.

Groundhog Day began centuries ago as a variation on Candlemas, an ancient European holiday.  According to an old English song:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.

The early Germans appear to be the first ones to adopt the use of an animal, specifically a hedgehog in their celebration, perhaps due to animals often being able to detect weather changes and other events before humans.  Many of Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers were Germans and brought the traditions with them, adapting the similar groundhog to the role.

But then we have to wonder, what’s so special about that day that makes it the source of all these traditions?  Well, it’s actually the same reason for our celebrations of Halloween.  These are surviving Pagan holidays known as Cross-quarter Days.  They occur in the middle of a season, between the solstices and equinoxes.  February 2nd is approximately the middle point between the Winter Solstice (Dec. 21st) and the Spring Equinox (March 20th).  Think about it this way…have you ever wondered why Winter begins on Dec. 21st, but it feels like Winter well before that?  It always seems like we get the first snow of the year on Halloween…a cross-quarter day.  They were originally the markers of the beginnings of the seasons.  But, over the years, their significance was lost compared to their more astronomically important cousins and the more significant celebrations that occurred at those times.

Paying homage to "Groundhog Day" on this chilly day in February. Image from the 1993 Columbia Pictures film.

In the end though, if I were to stand outside this morning holding a rodent up and looking for its shadow, I should remember that I live in one of those weird mountain states.  Seasons seem to do whatever they feel like, fluctuating between Summer and Winter from one day to the next.

But that doesn’t make the holiday any less fun to celebrate.  Have a safe and fun Groundhog Day, Candlemas Day, Cross-quarter Day, or Wednesday…whichever you like best.

The last show in the Hansen Dome Theatre will be the 6:45 PM showing. After this show (approximately 7:30 pm) the planetarium lobby, store, concessions and exhibit halls will close. Patrons seeing the IMAX movie around 7:00 pm will still be able to enter the theatre through the planetarium lobby.

Patrons seeing the last IMAX movie of the evening (usually after 9:30 pm) will need to enter and exit the theatre through the Gateway Megaplex lobby.

Again, this change affects Sunday evenings only.

“Asking and wondering about the nightsky is integral to the outdoor experience,” says Seth Jarvis, Director of Clark Planetarium. Jarvis hopes to give you a reason to marvel at what you can see in the night sky when you’re away from the city lights. He will teach you how to identify whether what you’re seeing is a planet or a star. Or is that fast moving light a satellite or a plane?

All ages are invited to the free event at the Salt Lake City REI at 3285 East 3300 South. The discussion will run from 7-8:15 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28, 2012. For more information call 801-486-2100 or sign up online.

“The scheduling of the movie at our IMAX Theatre is ironic and very fortuitous from a public interest point of view,” says Seth Jarvis, Clark Planetarium director. “Its screening comes in the wake of Russia’s failed Phobos-Grunt space probe on Jan. 15 that was slated to explore a Martian moon. It failed to escape earth’s orbit and crashed unceremoniously into the ocean.  It’s that type of debris ‘Space Junk 3D’ is all about.”

Harnessing the magical imagery of the 3D Giant Screen, “Space Junk 3D” director Melissa Butts takes the viewer soaring from the stunning depths of Meteor Crater in Arizona to an unprecedented view of increasingly crowded orbits 22,000 miles above earth. Fueling the story are stunning time-lapse sequences and dynamic images that transport audiences by wrapping them in star fields and allowing them to witness massive collisions in space – both natural and man-made.

Accenting what Jarvis said about remnants of hundreds of space probes, Academy Award nominee, Tom Wilkinson, who narrates the films, says “After a half a century of space exploration, we are faced with what has long been a staple of science fiction – an orbiting junkyard of cast-off space debris.”

On-screen, Don Kessler, retired head of NASA’s Orbital Debris Office, and “father” of Space Junk, reaches back to the beginning of our solar system for understanding and guides viewers through the challenges we face in protecting our orbits.

For more information or to buy tickets to Space Junk 3D please visit our website clarkplanetarium.org.

The stars of Orion make for one of the most recognizable constellations in the winter sky

Many of us can instinctively pick out Orion because of its three prominent “belt stars” arranged in a convenient line, surrounded by four more bright stars representing the character’s shoulders and knees. But its notoriety comes from other factors as well. It may have been known as a “mighty hunter” to both the Greeks but many other cultures had celebrated descriptions for this group as well. One of my favorite representations of Orion comes from the Tewa People, who referred to Orion as their Chief Long Sash. Long Sash was remembered for leading his people westward to a new land away from their enemies who were constantly raiding their villages. It’s a wonderful story about perseverance, equality and humility – highly valued traits of the Tewa Pueblo People.

The bright reddish star in Orion’s shoulder is sometimes called “Beetlejuice” (like the movie), because it’s true name is “Betelgeuse” (an ancient Arabic word that roughly translates into “Armpit of the Mighty One”!). And, Orion’s sword contains one of the most famous nebulas in the sky – The Orion Nebula, a massive cloud of dust and gas giving birth to hundreds of new stars.

We’ll present some special features of this constellation on our dome that you can’t experience on any computer screen or movie, but we’ll also show how the pattern of Orion itself can make for one of the best guideposts to the Winter sky. Selected stars in this constellation can act like “pointers” to other major stars and deep sky wonders, many visible to the naked eye or binoculars.

Get ready for a multitude of astronomical treats. From Orion to the “Dog Star,” Taurus to the “The Seven Sisters,” this is the season for celestial riches!

Tickets for this presentation are $1 at the ticket window or $2 online. Members are free.

Of the 38 Mars mission launched from Earth so far, exactly half of them arrived at Mars in operating condition.

A case in point is the Russian “Fobos/Grunt” (in English we would call it “Phobos/Soil”) mission launched last November that was intended to land on one of Mars’ moons, Phobos, scoop up some surface material, and then rocket the sample back to Earth. Total round-trip time: three years.

Sadly, just a couple of hours after launch the rocket motor that was supposed to send Fobos/Grunt from low Earth orbit to Mars failed to fire and ground controllers lost contact with the spacecraft.

Fobos/Grunt is now a derelict fourteen-ton spacecraft in a deteriorating orbit, destined to burn up in the atmosphere sometime between now and Monday.

The Fobos/Grunt Spacecraft - now just so much junk.

Most of the spacecraft’s mass is its eleven tons of fuel. True, that’s a lot of toxic chemicals, but the fuel will most likely vaporize quickly very high in the atmosphere upon reentry.

Only about three tons of actual hard metal will survive the initial 18,000 mph encounter with our atmosphere, and only about 400-500 pounds of the spacecraft is expected to survive the fiery reentry and make it all the way to Earth’s surface.

There is almost zero chance that Fobos/Grunt falling from the sky will injure anyone or cause damage. After all, three-quarters of the world is covered by oceans, so right there you see there’s only a one-in-four chance of the spacecraft even hitting land.

Earth is a big place, and humans represent a teensy-tiny portion of the surface area. The chances of a piece of Fobos/Grunt hitting a human being are on the order of one in a thousand, and the chances of you being hit are something like one in million-million.

Update: Fobos/Grunt fell harmlessly into the southern Pacific Ocean at about 10:45 MST on Sunday, January 15, about 600 miles west of Chile. See? Told ya.

This phenomenon of dead satellites in low-Earth orbit creating problems for us is the subject of Clark Planetarium’s next ATK IMAX theatre documentary film. It’s titled, appropriately enough, “Space Junk 3D.” We’ll have more information about this film later in the month.

Taurus the Bull winter constellation

The cold weather might seem like a deterrent to winter stargazing but it can actually be quite enjoyable and rewarding with just a little preparation. Before going outside, check out the locations of the objects you want to observe. That will help you find them quickly and easily. Star dome charts and star maps are readily available online, or you can get night sky software that allows you to customize the view for your location and time.

Also, remember the first rule of observing: Make yourself comfortable! Plenty of warm clothing (especially thin, warm gloves for handling cold metal binoculars or telescope eyepieces). Occasional breaks for hot cocoa (Earl Grey works for me!). A red-filtered flashlight for reading charts outside. And position your viewing spot so that bright lights are blocked by trees, buildings, etc.

Ok so now that you’re all comfy, what are your celestial rewards? The three stars of Orion’s Belt are making their appearance in the eastern sky, making for one of the best “pointers” in the winter sky. Draw them upward and to the right and you’ll find Aldebaran, the fiery orange eye of Taurus the Bull. But keep that imaginary line going still higher and you’ll find the most famous winter star cluster of all – the Pleiades (commonly known as “The Seven Sisters”). There are many legends connected to the Pleiades, but one of my favorites come from the Chippewa People called “The Seven Dancing Brothers.” We will retell this story in the show.

What are the Pleiades in actual outer space? What about Venus and Jupiter? What else is in the January sky? Come join us for “Gateway to the Stars” Saturday, Jan. 7 at 6:45 p.m. and see for yourself!

Tickets for this presentation are $1 at the ticket window or $2 online. Members are free.

Okay, so it’s not a commonly-celebrated event. Nevertheless, January 4th, 2012 is a significant date for the year, at least astronomically. Perihelion occurs on Wednesday, January 4th, 2012. This marks the time when the Earth is closest to the Sun for the year. Yes, I said closest. ‘Peri’ comes from the French for ‘near to,’ and ‘helion’ comes from the Greek for ‘Sun.’

Many people believe, mistakenly, that the Earth is farthest from the Sun in winter. However, we need to realize that when it is winter in the northern hemisphere it is summer in the southern hemisphere, and vice versa.

Earth (and every other planet) orbits the Sun in an elliptical orbit, not in a circular one. So, there will be one moment of the year when the Earth is closest to the Sun and another moment in the year when the Earth is farthest from the Sun. Those moments are known as perihelion and aphelion, respectively; and always occur around January 4th and July 4th, respectively.

Perihelion 2012

The difference in distance from the Sun between these two dates is rather small, around 5 million km, and has little noticeable effect on temperatures.

The Mars Exploration Rover came from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. This full scale model is an example of current technology that has been exploring Mars since 2004. When two of these golf cart sized robotic rovers originally landed nearly eight years ago, they were only supposed to complete a 90 day mission. They both lasted longer than expected. In fact, the rover known as “Opportunity” is still exploring Martian terrain and increasing our knowledge of Mars.

(L) Plasma ball 2012 (R) Plasma ball 1993

For the first time in it’s history, Clark Planetarium, has a plasma ball. Visitors may remember the plasma ball that used to grace the floor of the old Hansen Planetarium nearly a decade ago. A new generation of children and adults can place their hands on the ball and watch science happen at the touch of a finger. The plasma globe contains Neon and Xenon gas under very low pressure. A high frequency transformer increases the voltage from 110 V to several thousand volts. The purple/pink plasma will follow your hand because your body provides a path for the energy from the ball to the ground.

The next time you’re in the area swing by and see these new exhibits. Clark Planetarium’s exhibit are always free. For hours of operation please click here.